LG G3 launch accessories hands-on

We take a look at our three favourite accessories from yesterday’s LG G3 launch event in London.

We spent yesterday evening in Battersea Park, London for the global launch of the new LG G3, a mammoth flagship smartphone with some impressive new features. Whilst the G3 was the star of the event, the show floor also featured a ton of accessories expected to arrive alongside the G3 when it hits store shelves.

Here are three of our favourites and the ones most likely to make it to the UK.

LG wireless charger

An innocuous looking plastic slab, LG’s new wireless charger features a fold-out base so that you can stand your LG G3 up on a table top. Using Qi-standard charging technology, this charger will charge a myriad of phones including many of Nokia’s Lumia devices.

At the launch event we came across a white variant but other colours might become available down the line. Pricing wasn’t mentioned.

LG QuickCircle case

LG wasn’t worried about keeping the G3’s identity a secret before launch and the announcement of the LG QuickCircle case practically signposted the imminent unveiling of the South Korean company’s new top dog, even though it went official more than a week before the phone did.

In the flesh the QuickCircle case is an elegant, understated piece of kit. An evolution of last year’s QuickWindow case for the LG G2, this version features a circular transparent plastic window on the front of the folio-style design.

Fold it over and not only does it protect that impressively crispy Quad HD display, but it means that you can continue to interact with the phone without having to open the thing up.

The main UI features a dial of six icons, five of which you can swap out for other native G3 app. You can access music controls, call history, update health information, snap a photo, check messages and customise the look of the clock from the settings menu. Incoming calls can also be taken without having to open the case up and it still allows for wireless charging, even with the added bulk.

LG says an SDK is on the way for third-party apps to be developed too.

LG Tone Infinim Bluetooth headset

LG’s been a long-standing player in the Bluetooth headphones space. The LG Tone Infinim headset is that latest offering in the company’s lineup and it’s designed with G3 in mind.

The earphones boast Harman Kardon audio engineering and thanks to a spring-loaded mechanism, retract at the touch of a button. They’re more sculpted than previous iterations and feature integrated hardware controls with dedicated buttons for calls, music playback and volume control.

Two exclusive features when using the Tone Infinim with the LG G3 are Answer Me+, which can intelligently disconnect the headset if you answer from the phone and Name Alert, which speaks the name of who’s calling to you.

The hardware rocker on the right side is primarily for skipping music tracks, but outside of music playback can be used to read out the time or your most recent notifications, offering support for all sorts of apps, from text messages to Snapchat.

We’re still waiting on pricing and availability for all of these products, but check back soon for more on the LG G3.